Fiorian Nights
by phantomia-fantasy
Summary: Jellal, the king of Fiore, hates all women for betraying him. The scarlet haired woman of his court, Erza, tries to talk some sense into him, so she becomes a candidate for Jellal's wife. She tells him a story every night, and little by little, Jellal starts to fall in love with her. Based on the Arabian Nights. Featuring some of your favorite characters in the stories!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I had the idea of writing a fanfic with Fairy Tail characters in fairy tales, but I know it's been done before. Then I got the idea of the Arabian Nights with Erza and Jellal. This story is set back when Jellal was evil, it just makes their romance so much more intriguing. So here goes, the first Fiorian Nights…**

Jellal sat on his throne, his hood pulled over his face. He smiled a wicked smile.

"Kill her," he told his guards. The girl screamed while the guard took her away. Another day, another girl.

Every day Jellal would recruit a new girl to be his bride. The girl would stay overnight at the palace, and in the morning, he would decide whether or not he wanted to marry them. If not, the girl would die in the morning.

Jellal didn't actually like any of them, or even plan to marry any of them, not even the really pretty ones. He just used that as an excuse to take his anger out on women. Jellal hated women, he hated them. He just wanted them to die. Hey were all wicked in his eyes.

Jellal's advisors urged him to choose a wife soon, but he assured them that he needed to find the one. As if. If they bothered him anymore, they would be as good as dead. The council should know better than to question Jellal.

He grinned a wicked grin as the girl was taken away. She was what, 17? Yes, she was very young and pretty, but soon her life would come to an end.

As much as Jellal tried, he would never be able to mend his broken heart.

Erza sat in the court room as the Royal Council discussed their affairs. She was part of the king's Royal Court. The current topic of discussion was the king's marriage, something that had been in discussion for a while. Erza ran a hand through her scarlet hair, the hair she was named after.

It seemed that the King would kill someone every morning just because she wasn't to his liking. Hundreds of women had died from this, and Erza hated every minute of it. She couldn't stand watching any more people die.

Eventually, Erza thought Jellal would choose a wife, but when the killing started to increase in number, she wasn't so sure. But she knew there was more to it than that. It wasn't about marriage for him, it went deeper than that. Erza knew. She knew him.

Erza had to stop Jellal. She knew he wasn't usually like this. No one else knew what to do, but Erza knew Jellal better than almost anyone else.

"I have a proposal to make." All heads in the large room turned towards her. "Someone must talk some sense into him." Many eyes widened at this. The King was not to be questioned. "I shall do it."

"You'll die before you even get to finish your sentence!" Someone said. Erza knew it could very well happen, but she had to try.

"I will become a candidate for his wife." Silence filled the room. The chances of Erza dying were extremely high, but some of the council members began to consider it. Erza was a smart, beautiful woman.

"Very Well then. Lady Erza, I leave it to you."

Jellal had a new woman for the night. This one was Erza Scarlet, one of the few women on his council. She was different than the others, he had to admit. She had long, scarlet hair that flowed down her back, and carried an air of dignity with her. She was beautiful, but also looked familiar.

Jellal brushed that thought aside as he went to sit next to her on the cushion. She was reading a book. Jellal grinned a wicked grin and looked at her. She put her book down and looked at him, her face expressionless.

Erza was staying over at the palace tonight. It was night, all of the council members had gone home. Even many of his servants had gone to bed. It was just him and Erza in the lounge.

Jellal wanted to pester her a bit before killing her tomorrow morning so he decided to strike up a conversation.

"What brings a woman of the Royal Court here?"

Erza looked away from him, then back again. "I'm doing what every other girl tried to do before me. Change your mind."

Jellal laughed and brought his face closer to Erza's, so that they were inches apart. "And what makes you think you can do that?" He cupped her chin with his thumb and index finger, maing her eyes level with his.

"I don't have anything to back me up, but all I can do is try." Jellal brought Erza's face so close to him that their faces were only about an inch apart. Then he brought his lips over hers. He tasted something like pomegranates and felt a shudder course through his veins. It was like a spark had ignited when he kissed her. No, he couldn't afford to feel like this.

Erza pushed him away and slapped him across the face. "Don't ever try anything like that with me." He tone was firm, and Jellal was surprised to hear her talk to the King like that. He smirked. He was amused.

She turned her head so that she wasn't looking at him. "Sit down," Erza told him, "Let me tell you a story."

Now Jellal was curious. "What kind of story?"

Erza gave him a faint smile. "You'll just have to wait and listen." She settled down on one of the cushions and faced him. Jellal made himself comfortable on cushion across from her.

"Okay," Erza started, "_Once upon a time…"_

**Well folks, that's all for this chapter. There'll be a story next chapter, for most of it. Any guesses as to what it is, and who it'll be about? Don't forget to review and make suggestions and requests about it. Haha, stay tuned till next time!**


	2. Flower Gleam and Glow

"Plue! Where are you?" Lucy said. She was playing hide and seek with Plue, and he was really good at hiding. But this time, she was determined to find him. Lucy heard Plue's whimpering coming from her closet and grabbed him.

"Gotcha Plue! Aww you're so cute," Lucy exclaimed, hugging her miniature dog.

She was a prisoner, and had been ever since her mother died. After that her father had locked her in the tower. Maybe it was because he didn't want to see her again or have anything to do with her anymore. She looked so much like her mother it wasn't hard it believe. Then again, Jude had never really cared about Lucy as a child, so why should he start now?

"Miss Lucy?" A knock sounded from the door. "I have your breakfast." Lucy opened the door and one of the servants stepped inside holding a tray of food for her. She set it down on the dining table and left.

Lucy was not allowed to leave. Servants would bring meals up for her every day, coming up the staircase and exiting through it. She had spent hours, even days looking for a way to the staircase from inside her tower, but the doors were locked and she was trapped. The only way out was jumping, and that was out of the question.

It was a nice place to live, an apartment of her own with everything she needed to survive, but it still wasn't enough. Lucy missed the outside world and longed to leave her tower.

Lucy tossed her golden hair aside and sat down on a chair. She hadn't cut it since she was locked in her tower and it brushed just past her knees now.

She walked over to the window and took in the view outside of the mountains and the waterfall. Her family's estate extended further than she could see, and Lucy's tower was on the other side of it all.

She breathed in the cool summer air when she heard screaming and footsteps running to her tower. She ran and hid in her closet, taking her trusty frying pan with her. The footsteps were louder now, and there was heavy breathing, too.

Suddenly, a young man with spiky pink hair climbed through and window, panting. She lowered himself to the floor and looked out the window with a grin on his face. "I think I lost 'em."

Lucy crept out of the closet and up behind him. He was still looking out the window, lost in thought. Then, she lifted her frying pan and brought it down on his head. Hard.

He instantly collapsed and Lucy jumped. "Oh my gosh! I've got a person in my tower! A real person!" _Wow, I finally see a real person after 7 years and this is what I do. _

"What if he's some creep who's here to—NO!" She looked at Plue and the white dog went over to where the boy lay. Lucy approached him and looked. His face was hidden by a lock of hair falling over his eyes. She pushed it away with her frying pan.

Lucy's eyes widened as she took him in, his pink hair, tall, muscular form, and his beautiful face. _He's very good looking, _she thought. His eyes then snapped open without warning, and Lucy instinctively smashed her frying pan down on his head again.

X

Natsu woke up to find his hands and feet tied to a chair. He took in his surroundings and sighed. So this was where he ended up. But why was he tied to a chair? Was someone there?

"Struggling is pointless," said a voice from behind him, "I know why you're here, and I'm not afraid of you." A pretty blonde girl came in from one of the rooms and he grinned at her.

"I know not who you are, nor how I came to be, but might I just say—Hi! How you doing? Everyone calls me Salamander. God! I've always wanted to say that!"

"Why are you here?" The girl asked. "Cause if it's what I think it is, you're going down!" She raised her frying pan over her head and Natsu squeaked.

"Hey, hey! It's not like that! I destroyed a town and was getting chased! I just ran into the first place I found!"

"How'd you get up here?" Natsu gestured to the arrows on the ground next to him. "Used these to haul myself up."

She seemed to relax a little. "I'm Lucy, by the way."

Natsu grinned. "Lucy, huh? Well, hey Luce," He puckered his lips and looked up at Lucy with big black eyes. "Here comes the smoulder."

Lucy looked at him for a moment, and walked away from him. "Save it," she said.

She then turned to him. "If you were able to get in, there must be a way out of here." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "How many arrows do you have?"

"Four, I figured they'd come in useful. Why?"

Lucy squealed and jumped. "Yes, I'm finally getting out! Come on!" She grabbed Natsu's hand, probably forgetting he was still tied to a chair. He fell face first on the floor, still in his chair.

"Damn it Luce! Your broke my smoulder!"

"Sorry!"

X

Lucy climbed down the tower with Plue on her shoulder, really excited to be back into the real world.

When her feet finally touched the grass, she lay back on it and grinned the biggest grin ever. She took it all in, savouring the sweet taste of the real world.

Lucy ran to the stream and strolled into it, picking up her hair and throwing it around her; she splashed around, much to Natsu's dismay.

"I can't believe I did this. I can't believe I did this!" She yelled, but not loud enough for anyone nearby to hear her.

"Hey Luce—"

"I am never going back! Best day EVER!" Lucy ran into the woods with Natsu trailing behind her.

"Slow down! Lucy!" She stopped and Natsu caught up to her, grinning. "Hey you hungry?"

X

Natsu led Lucy to a nearby inn called Fairy Tail. _What an unusual name for an inn, _thought Lucy, _do fairies even have tails?_

They were greeted by screams and shouts by the people inside. Many of the people inside were fighting, beating each other up. Natsu ran in and joined them. "Don't you know a fight ain't a fight without me?" He charged at a guy with dark hair.

Lucy just stood there and watched with her mouth open. _Damn him, _she thought. A naked guy came up to her and asked to borrow her clothes. She hit him in the face with her frying pan.

Natsu was still fighting, and something had to be done about it. Lucy ran up to the guy Natsu was fighting and brought her frying pan down on his head. Then she dragged Natsu out of there and sat him down by the bar.

"Natsu," Lucy said calmly, "We did not come here so you could fight!"

She dragged him out of the fight and sat him down on a stool. Plue shivered next to Natsu for no apparent reason.

"Hey Plue, did'ya find something to eat? I want in!" Natsu dug around with Plue as Lucy sighed.

"So, where to?"

"Armmmph," Natsu said, his mouth full of food. "Magnolia city."

X

By the time Natsu was done with Fairy Tail, it was already dark outside. Lucy shivered.

"Hey Natsu, do you want to stop for the night and find a place to sleep?"

Natsu nodded. "Why don't you go grab some firewood, and I'll find us a place."

As Lucy left, Natsu, looked around until he found two over turned logs. Lucy returned with the wood and dropped them in the middle. He ran out to get some more as Lucy sat down.

When Natsu returned, he made a fire, and sat down across from Lucy. She cupped her hands around her face, leaning on them.

"So, Natsu, tell me about yourself."

He shrugged. "There isn't much to tell. I was adopted by a man named Igneel when I was 5. He raised me as his son. Then, a few years after that, he disappeared." His expression turned sad, and Lucy moved to sit next to him. She lifted his chin with her index finger to look up at her.

"See, you do have a story. What happened next?"

"For a while I made a living doing jobs here and there. I even did jobs for Fairy Tail for a while. But then I made a lot of enemies. Lot want me punished, or dead."

Lucy squeezed his hand. "What happened today?"

Natsu grinned. "I burnt a town, and they're after me."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Only someone like Natsu would be happy about that. He nodded at her. "You?"

Lucy looked down. After hearing Natsu's story, she felt like her's wasn't even that bad. At least she had a family.

"My mother died when I was little. After that my father locked me in a tower for 7 years; Plue was my only company. I don't know if it was because I look so much like her or if I was just too much to handle…" Lucy felt her eyes tearing up.

Natsu grinned and put an arm around her. "But hey! Now you're out of there! And you have me!"

Lucy forced a smile. "Yeah."

"Hey, I'm beat, I'm gonna go sleep now." Lucy nodded.

Natsu turned around and lay down as Lucy did the same. In a few minutes, his eyes opened again.

"Hey Luce, I can't sleep."

Lucy came over and sat next to him on the ground. "Maybe this'll help. I don't know why, but my mother used to sing this to me whenever I couldn't sleep. " She closed her eyes.

"_Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine._

"_Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine._

"_Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design._

"_Save what has been lost,_

"_Bring back what once was mine,_

"_What once was mine…"_

Natsu purred and began snoring lightly. Lucy smiled to herself and went to lay down on the other side of the fire.

X

As Lucy walked, Natsu trailed behind her, looking bored and unmoved every time Lucy pointed something out. He'd just shrug and say "That's cool Luce."

Then Lucy couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and stomped up to him. "Can't you at least try to be nice about it? Like I don't know, be happy for me?"

Natsu just shrugged. "Hey, it wasn't my idea to come on this trip. I just needed to get away—"

Just as he said that, something fell on him from above.

Lucy looked up and saw a blue cat stuck on Natsu's head. It growled and began scratching Natsu as he tried to get it off.

"AAAAHHH Get it OFF!" Lucy laughed and picked the cat off Natsu's head. She stroked its blue fur and hugged it.

"Aww, aren't you the cutest little thing!"

Right that instant Natsu looked up. "Happy? Wow it is you! C'mere buddy!" He opened his eyes as Happy ran into them. The cat then growled and started scratching again.

"Hey buddy, it wasn't my idea to leave you. I had to go."

"Is he your cat?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah." He rubbed Happy's fur with his fist, and the cat purred. "Had him since I was 10."

They walked until the city came into view. Lucy stopped and took it all in. Then she squealed and grabbed Natsu's arm, taking him with her. Happy and Plue ran after them to keep up.

"I can't believe I'm actually here!" She danced around. Natsu watched her with a smile on his face.

Lucy took Natsu's arm again. "Come on! There's so much we have to do!"

They walked all over town, Lucy stopping whenever she saw something interesting. People watched them as they passed, but neither Natsu nor Lucy seemed to care.

They went everywhere in the city. The library, the different shops, and even the cathedral.

They stopped at a cake shop and Lucy paused to look into the window. Natsu watched her and gave a faint smile. He was really warming up to this girl. He walked into the shop and came out with cupcakes for both of them.

"Let's sit at the South Gate Park. The Blossom Viewing Festival's today." Lucy jumped and followed Natsu to the park.

They sat on the grass, a few minutes before the sun set. Just as it was getting dark, the Rainbow Sakura glowed in the evening light.

"Look," Natsu pointed out to Lucy.

Lucy's face lit up immediately when she saw the tree. It was like every colour of the rainbow had just melted onto the petals. The petals fell on her, covering her hair in the most beautiful colours imaginable.

Natsu's hart melted seeing her so happy. In the time that they had spent together, he was really beginning to like her. He caught a flower as it fell down. He turned Lucy's head toward him and put it behind her ear. Her eyes glittered with happiness.

"Natsu I—thank you, this is all so amazing."

Natsu grinned, just as Lucy leaned in. He leaned in as well.

Just as they were about to kiss, a voice sounded from behind them, making Natsu's eyes shoot open.

"I found him."

X

Erza stopped.

Jellal couldn't take it. He needed to know what happened. "Well, what happens after that?"

Erza ignored him. "The sun's up. It's time for you to kill me."

**Well how's that for a cliff hanger? Yup, it was based on Tangled, but I tried to make it as good as I could. I'll try to update sooner from now on, but with school and everything, I won't always be able to. But I'll try! Anyway, don't forget to review and tell me what you think of the story!**

**P.S. You'll get to read the rest of the NaLu story soon.**


	3. You're my New Dream

She was right. It was time for him to kill her now.

But Jellal got so caught up in the story; he really wanted to hear the rest of it. And as much as he hated to admit it, he liked listening to stories.

So he weighed his options. Either kill her now to keep his hold on pride, or let her live another day so he could hear the rest of the story.

Jellal couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of respect for the girl for standing up to such a fate.

He decided to let her live in order to finish the story.

Jellal left his room to go back to where Erza was waiting for him in the lunge. She hadn't moved since last night.

"I've decided to let you live for another day. Tonight you will tell me the rest of the story." He turned around and walked away after that.

If he'd only stayed longer, he would've seen the slight smile on Erza's face.

Erza stepped into the Court Room, everyone turning around to look at her, surprised.

"The king has had a change in plans. He will not execute me today."

Erza was starting to hope again. If he decided to let her live another day, there must still be some good in him.

She only wished he would remember.

That night, Erza waited for Jellal in the lounge. He came in and sat next to her on a cushion.

"Tell me the rest of the story. What happened to Natsu after that?"

Erza smiled. "Okay."

_Lucy watched as the two men grabbed Natsu from behind. _

She ran to him, trying to undo their grip on him. One of the guys, the bald one, tried swatting her away.

"Get off him!" She yelled, trying to pull Natsu away from them. When they didn't let go of him, she jumped onto the back of the other one.

"Hey Boze! Get this bitch off me!" Lucy pulled off the hood. This one was a girl.

"No can do, Sue! I have Dragneel to take care of!" Boze replied.

Sue shook Lucy off her, and threw her on the ground. As Lucy looked up, Sue was walking up to her.

The blonde looked up from her spot on the ground. She felt tears coming up to her eyes. Then, from, the corner of her vision, she saw a foot coming towards her head. After that, everything went black.

X

Lucy woke up to grey. Everywhere she looked, that was all she saw. Grey walls, grey ceilings. She felt like she had been here before.

But wait something was off. She looked around until her eyes found something she recognized.

"Natsu!" She ran over to him. He was on the ground, pink hair a mess, and bruises all over his face. She put her head on her chest. Good, he was still breathing.

Natsu slowly opened his eyes. "Luce…" He coughed. "Luce, you have to try to get out…" he coughed again.

"No, not without you!"

"No," He took her hand, coal black eyes large and desperate, "This place…you have to."

"Natsu where are we?" Lucy asked.

"Master Jose's palace…dungeon…" Lucy could tell he was close to passing out again, so she pressed him further to keep him awake.

"Who's he?"

Natsu inhaled. "One of the most powerful people in town. He wants me dead 'cause I exposed him for…" He panted as Lucy put her hand on his cheek. "Illegal business, prostitution."

Lucy paled at that. She'd heard stories of young girls being sold into prostitution.

"Natsu?" He was already passed out.

Lucy was so engulfed in her thoughts, she didn't hear the cell gate opening. A man stepped inside.

"You're free to go blondie." He grabbed her arm and ushered her out, ignoring her cries for Natsu. The guard led her outside a room. Inside it, she saw two men sitting at a large table. One of them she recognized as none other than her father.

Judging by his expensive clothing and deadly look, she guessed the other must have been Jose.

"I hope this doesn't affect our business deal, Jose," Jude was saying, "Lucy's merely a girl who led a very sheltered life."

Jose stroked his moustache. "I will be willing to keep the deal if the girl stays here with me. She can be…of use to me."

Jude's saw tightened. "I demand an extra 10 million jewel."

Jose smiled. "Fine." He stood up as they shook hands.

Lucy watched from the doorway, shocked. They saw her when they exited the room.

"So you're involved in illegal prostitution?" Lucy screamed.

Jude turned around and found her. "Jose gives me forty percent of the profits in exchange for sponsoring the business. And do not talk to me like that."

Jude gripped Lucy's arm tightly. "What were you doing outside? You were forbidden to leave the tower! And with Dragneel of all people!"

Lucy was taken aback. "You know Natsu?"

"I did business with his father. And do not change the subject." He tightened his grip, making Lucy squirm. "From now on you will stay with Master Jose." He pushed her toward Jose.

Jose grinned and pinned Lucy against him, arms around her torso. "Well, aren't we going to have fun?"

Jude nodded at Jose and left.

"Now, first thing's first. We get rid of little Dragneel."

Lucy gasped and screamed. She squirmed in Jose's grip and bit his arm hard.

She ran to the dungeons, grabbing the keys from one off their belts. She then ran full speed towards Natsu's cell.

Lucy found the key and opened the cell.

"Natsu!" She yelled. She tried shaking him awake. His eyes slowly opened.

Jose and his guards ran into the cell right moment.

"I won't let you touch him!" Lucy yelled. She cradled Natsu's head in her lap, arms tightly around him.

Joe smiled. "But we already did."

"What?" Lucy looked down and found Natsu panting, coughing heavily. Blood spilled from the sides of his mouth as he coughed.

His eyes began watering from coughing so loud. Lucy put her head to his chest and felt his heartbeat slow down. Natsu's eyes opened and closed.

Jose snickered. "Certain poisons do have their upsides."

Tears began to spill from Lucy's eyes, falling down on Natsu.

"What's wrong, Luce? Why are you crying?" He managed to choke out. Lucy stroked his hair gently.

"You know Luce, I think, I think I love you..."

Lucy held back a sob. "I do too. I love you too!" She put her hand on his cheek as his eyes began to close. "No, Natsu, stay with me!"

Natsu's eyes slowly fell shut, and to Lucy, it felt the time had just stopped, leaving her without a trace of reality.

"So boring, I'm leaving." Jose left, obviously bored.

This time Lucy let herself cry. She sobbed until her chest was numb, but the tears kept falling.

She still held Natsu in her arms. Slowly, she leaned over, lifting his head up, and kissed his cold, lifeless lips. Blood still spilled from his mouth, but Lucy didn't care. This was the kiss they never got to share.

She stood up and walked outside her cell. A guard took her arm and led her upstairs.

Jose took in Lucy's appearance: her tousled hair, puffy eyes , and bloody lips.

"Now, let's get you cleaned up shall we?"

X

Natsu let out a sharp breath as he opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings. He was still in the dungeons.

But what happened? The last thing he remembered was feeling weak, losing his grasp on reality. After that he felt something; it was really faint, but Lucy's lips on his.

Lucy.

Natsu's jaw hardened and his eyes blazed with hatred. They took his Lucy away.

He reached outside the bars and grabbed the guard stationed outside. Idiot was in a chair. Natsu grabbed him by the throat as he squeaked.

"Where the hell's Lucy?" He growled.

"They-they took her upstairs! I had nothing to do with it!" His eyes looked frightened.

"Give me the keys."

The guard's mouth hung wide open in panic. "I can't-it's-it's against orders—"

Natsu tightened his grip on the guard's neck. When the man didn't budge, Natsu brought back his hand and punched him. He kept tightening until the guy almost turned blue.

The guard then reached into his belt and handed the keys to Natsu, struggling to breathe.

Natsu dropped him on the ground, letting the man gasp for air. He took the keys and tried them until he found the right one, letting himself out of the cell.

As he passed the guard, who was struggling to get upstairs, Natsu kicked him to prevent him from going any further.

He then ran upstairs to the throne room where he found Jose sitting. Something burned inside of him, and he would finish off anyway who got in his way.

Jose looked up and found him. "Dragneel? Why are you still alive? I saw you die!" He stood up. "I guess some poison doesn't work as well as others."

Natsu cracked his knuckles.

X

Lucy lay on the bed in the room Jose gave her. She was numb. She couldn't feel and wasn't sure if she ever could.

But then she felt something. It was almost as if a spark had ignited in her heart, making a her feel a change in the atmosphere. Lucy breathed in deeply, as she began to feel lighter.

She felt it—downstairs. She needed to get there now.

X

Natsu was about to bash Jose's head against the wall just as Lucy ran into the throne room.

"Natsu?" She asked in surprise, running to him. Lucy buried her head in his shoulder and hugged him tightly, as he did the same.

"But I thought you were…" Lucy trailed off as Natsu laid a hand on her cheek.

Right that moment Jose just had to yell out. "Oh please. Enough with the drama."

Lucy turned around and took him in. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists.

"I'm gonna make you wish you were dead."

Natsu looked at her and smiled. Lucy looked up at him. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Jose called his guards inside, but Natsu took hem each out in one blow. As Natsu them distracted, Lucy approached Jose. She sat on his lap and ran a hand across his cheek, almost gagging.

"Jose," Lucy began seductively. She could tell he was easily flustered by her, as he was already blushing. She brought he fist back and punched him in the face really hard.

As Jose fell off the throne, Lucy kicked him in the groin, making him crouch into a ball and quiver in pain.

After Natsu was done with the guards he went up to Jose and kicked him in the head as hard as he could. Blood spilled from the right side of his face as Natsu and Lucy bent down.

"Stay out of our lives, and we'll let you live." Jose weakly nodded as Natsu kicked him again, making him pass out.

Lucy's face broke into a smile as she jumped onto Natsu's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Natsu grinned.

As they walked out the door, the guards raised their weapons. "Do you want to end up like Jose?" Natsu asked them. They gently lowered their weapons.

Natsu ran with Lucy on his back outside the gate, and into the open fields.

Lucy laughed and jumped off Natsu, who put his arms around her waist and lowered his head so that it touched Lucy's.

"Natsu I thought you were dead."

Natsu smiled. "I was. But you brought me back."

Lucy's tightened her arms around his neck. "I guess magic really does exist."

They pulled apart and walked hand in hand through the city. Right that moment, Lucy stopped and looked up at Natsu.

"Hey Natsu, since we'll be together there's something we should do."

Lucy ran until she reached the church. "Do you want to do this?"

Natsu smiled down at her. "Yes."

The young lovers stepped into the church, arm in arm. At the end of the aisle the stopped and faced the altar.

"Here stands Natsu." He spoke.

"And here stands Lucy."

"On this day, we promise to share every happy moment, and every sorrow."

"We mean it," Lucy added. They turned around to face each other.

"For all our life, and until death," Natsu said.

"For all our life, and until death," Lucy repeated.

"Together we will be," they both started, "from now on, and until the end of time."

Lucy stood on her toes and kissed Natsu, wrapping her arms around his neck. Natsu, in turn, put his arms around her waist, kissing her back.

When they got outside, Natsu and Lucy grinned at each other.

"So, I guess this is the start of a new adventure?" Lucy asked.

"Sure is," Natsu took her hand and kissed it.

X

Jellal subconsciously smiled at the ending. It was a good ending. He liked it, even though he would never admit it.

When Erza caught him smiling, she let out a smile of her own.

"I have many stories to tell you," she told him.

Jellal turned his head to look at her. "That was a good story."

Erza was looking out the window again, just as the sun was creeping up past the clouds. "It's morning. You know what that means."

Jellal frowned. He wanted to listen to more of her stories. She was a good storyteller.

For some strange reason, though, he didn't want to kill her.

**Well, how was it? Yeah, I got the vows from Romeo x Juliet, but I reworded it. But yeah, there's the rest of the NaLu story. I'd like to tell you who's next, but I feel like that would ruin it. I'll try to review as soon as possible. **

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! Also, who do you think the next chapter should be about?**


	4. Part of Your World

Another day to live. Erza was really starting to believe again. Believe that maybe things would change after all.

He had said he liked her stories. She smiled at that. Her stories were based on the many friends she made a few years ago, although she did spice things up a little bit.

Erza turned her attention back to the Courtroom. Things were a bit more relaxed today, as Erza was not yet killed. They were starting to trust Erza with this mission.

But to Erza, it was a different kind of mission, a more personal one.

Jellal sat in his lounge, smoking a pipe. It was usually something he did when he was extremely bored, like right now.

That redheaded woman kept interrupting his thoughts; something about her was just too interesting. He was grateful for that, given all the bland, boring girls he had recruited before.

Erza Scarlet…the name sounded so familiar. He couldn't help it.

Just a few hours until nighttime. Too long.

Jellal eagerly awaited Erza's arrival in the lounge. He couldn't wait to hear another story, although, he didn't dare show it. He needed to keep up his reputation as a feared ruler.

The redhead stepped into the lounge as the moonlight shone through the windows of the palace.

She walked over, and sat on a pillow next to Jellal.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

Erza nodded. "Court discussions."

Jellal grinned a wicked grin. "What, they were about me weren't they?"

Erza simply shrugged at that.

"Good. I've established a reputation as a feared ruler. I plan to keep it that way."

Erza didn't say anything. Jellal looked at her.

"Well?" He knew better than to mess with this woman.

She finally smiled. "I think you'll like tonight's story. Love is more powerful than words."

He froze. _Love is more powerful than words._ What did that even mean? Maybe he would find out soon.

"Once upon a time…"

_There was a mermaid who lived down under the sea._

Juvia hid in her cave, away from all the other merpeople. Everywhere she would go, she would always mess everything up. It was like she was always followed by a storm.

This gave all the others reason to torment her, call her names, and make her feel like nothing.

The cave was all Juvia had. No home, no family. Just a necklace with her name on it.

She sang her heart out, about all the things she wished for, about everything she could ever want.

In times like these, her imagination was all she needed. In here, she could be anything she wanted.

She sat on a platform in the cave. _I'm a princess. I live in a beautiful palace, and wear pear tiaras and eat scallops every night._

Juvia laughed. Then she swam around. _Now I'm a bounty hunter, adventure and excitement lurking in every corner._

She sank to the bottom of the cave. Through the large hole at the top, the moonlight shone through.

Juvia reached for the moonlight. She wanted to touch it, to feel what it was like. But merpeople were forbidden to go up to the surface.

But she was an outcast, overlooked by everyone. No one ever even acknowledged her presence.

Either way, it didn't matter.

Juvia swam through the top of the cave, following the moonlight.

She let her head out of the water and felt the cool wind blow through her wavy blue locks. The moon was a giant disk in the sky, so beautiful she could stare at it for hours.

But wait, there was something else.

Juvia swam toward the giant floating object and secured a spot on the side. She looked up and found a group of men gathered around the deck. She had heard about these things—they were called ships.

As Juvia looked around, most of the men were dancing or talking to each other, all except one.

He sat on the bow looking out into the night, his black hair blowing in the wind.

Juvia felt her heart beat speed up and her temperature rise. He was absolutely beautiful. Was this what they called love at first sight? She instantly knew he was the one for her.

"Gray!" A tall white haired man called. "Come join the party!"

Gray looked back at him. "Geez, Lyon, I finally got some time without you pestering me. I'm gonna sit for a bit longer."

Lyon shrugged. "Suit yourself." He walked away, leaving Gray.

Juvia watched him as he sighed, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

She didn't realize how long she sat, staring at him, until thunder began to boom. Lightning flashed across the sky as Gray's expression changed.

It struck the bow, breaking off into the water. Gray fell into the water, knocked unconscious by a block of wood.

Juvia gasped and dove into the water. She looked around until she found his limp body sinking. Grabbing by the waist, she hauled him above the water.

He had to get to land fast. Juvia swam until she caught a glimpse of sand in the distance.

She lay him down on the sand and leaned over him.

Gray was so beautiful. Juvia knew she was in love with him.

She stroked his hair, bringing it down to lay a hand on his cheek.

"_What would I give to live where you are,_

"_What would I pay to stay here beside you,_

"_What would I do to see you, smiling at me?_

"_Where would we walk?_

"_Where would we run?_

"_If we could stay all day in the sun,_

"_Just you and me, and I could be,_

"_Part of your world."_

She sang about her wishes, just like she always did. But this time it was different. This wasn't from loneliness. It was from love.

He smiled began to open his eyes catching a glimpse of her face before she dove back into the water.

Juvia watched from behind a rock as Lyon ran over to Gray.

"Hey you son of a bitch! Do you know how long I sat thinking you were dead!"

Gray simply smiled pulled Lyon in for a hug. "Good to see you too, man."

Gray pulled away. "I think I'm in love. A girl rescued me and brought me to shore."

Lyon snickered. "You don't even know who she is."

"Yeah, but she sang to me in the most beautiful voice. Some things are stronger than words."

Lyon patted Gray on the back and led him away. "It's okay, I'll get you help."

Juvia felt her face break into a smile. He loved her! She dove back into the water, and found her place back in her cave. For the first time in a while, she slept soundly.

X

Juvia couldn't stop thinking about the boy she saw last night. Gray. His name echoed in her mind over and over again until she couldn't stand the torture anymore.

So, late at night, when no one was out Juvia put on her necklace and swam until she reached the deepest, darkest part of the ocean. She entered the cave.

"Come in my dear." A dark voice echoed from inside. Juvia hesitated at first, but then she remembered she was there for a reason. She went inside.

The Sea Witch was hunched over a large cauldron, watching the liquid inside of it glow. She turned around when Juvia entered.

"I know why you're here. You're in love with a human." She said it as if were the most natural thing in the world.

"How do you know that, Sea Witch?"

She smiled. "No need for the formalities. Just call me Ultear. In answer to your question, I know everything that goes on around here."

Ultear approached Juvia. "But the only way to get your human is become one yourself."

Juvia's eyes widened at that. "Name your price."

"What I want from you is…your voice."

Juvia shook her head. There had to be some other way. Without her voice she wouldn't be able to tell him. She wouldn't be able to sing for him. "There has to be some other way."

Ultear shrugged. "Take it or leave it. That's all I can do."

Juvia gritted her teeth. "Fine."

The Sea Witch smiled once again. "Alright. Here's how it goes. I give you legs, and you go up to the surface. With every step you take you'll look so beautiful, you'll outshine all the other girls." Juvia liked the sound of that.

But Ultear wasn't finished. "But it'll feel like a thousand knives stabbing you all over." So there was a catch.

"And Juvia, my dear, he must fall in love with you. If he falls in love with another, the night before his wedding will be your last. You must become one with the foam on the sea."

Juvia gulped. She knew what a big risk she was taking, but this was the only way to win her love. She would do whatever it took to make Gray love her.

"Now, darling, sing!"

Juvia opened her mouth and belted out a beautiful note. Ultear raised her arms as two shadows approached Juvia's neck. Her voice glowed in the center as the shadows reached inside her throat to take it out and give it to Ultear, who stowed it inside a shell.

She smiled at Juvia. "I think it's about time I made you human."

Suddenly, a searing pain burned through Juvia's tail, almost as if it was splitting in half. She screamed, but no sound came out.

"Meredy," Ultear ordered. "Take her to the surface."

A small pink haired mermaid emerged from under and took hold of Juvia's arm. She led her up to a beach and set her down on the sound. Juvia wanted to thank her, but she was already gone.

She sat on the sand, shivering in the cool night air when a voice sounded from behind her.

"Excuse me, are you all right?"

She turned around and found none other than Gray looking down at her, concerned.

X

Jellal found Erza looking out the window. He let out an inaudible sigh. The sun was rising. And at the good part too.

"Well, I guess I don't have to say anything." Erza stood up and nodded at Jellal.

"I want to hear the rest of the story," he urged.

Erza smiled. "If you let me live, you'll just have to wait until tonight."

**Hahahaha I left it on a cliffhanger. Yeah, this story's partially based on Disney's The Little Mermaid, and it's also based on the original story. It's going to be more mature than the Disney movie; in fact, all of the stories are going to be more mature than the Disney versions.**

**P.S. I know some of the characters are a tad OOC, but it fits the story so much better!**

**P.P.S. Did anyone notice how Jellal and Erza are slowly getting closer? It's only the beginning…**

**Well, stick around for the next chapter. And remember, more reviews = faster updates! 3**


	5. Love is too Powerful for Words

He decided to let her live another night. No harm, no foul if he was going to kill her soon anyway.

As much as Jellal hated to admit, he didn't want to kill Erza Scarlet yet. Her stories were just too interesting. But he couldn't keep meeting her like this.

It just wasn't right. It would seem like he had gone soft. But no, Jellal was as hard and cold as ice. Whatever he did was for his own benefit.

Then one day his advisor, Simon, approached him. "Sir, you can't keep meeting Lady Erza like this."

Jellal frowned at that. He was king, and he could do whatever he wanted. But he waited for Simon to continue.

"If you keep this up, they will begin to see you as a benevolent ruler. You must either marry her, or kill her now."

He froze. He couldn't kill her; no not yet, not without hearing her stories.

He pushed that thought out of his head and strolled over to the lounge, where, not surprisingly, Erza was waiting for him.

She smiled as he sat down. "So, where was I?"

"Right after she became human," Jellal replied.

Erza nodded and cleared her throat.

_Juvia's eyes widened and she almost stopped breathing._

He was right there! Gray offered a hand, and she took it, nearly falling down in the process.

Luckily for her, he caught her before she hit the ground. Juvia smiled up at him in gratitude when she saw Gray blush.

"Uh…" he looked uncomfortable, "Here." He took off his jacket and handed it to Juvia. Her face reddened when she realized she was almost completely naked, minus the shells.

Juvia buttoned up the jacket and Gray looked at her curiously. "So, what happened? Were you in a shipwreck or something?"

Juvia opened her mouth to speak when she remembered she couldn't. So she did the only thing she could: she shrugged. Gray took that as a yes.

He studied her for a moment. "You look really familiar, have we met before?"

Juvia nodded as his face lit up. "Really? What's your name?"

Juvia frowned slightly and touched her neck. Gray immediately looked confused. "What's wrong? You can't speak?"

Juvia shook her head. He sighed and smiled lightly. "Then you couldn't be who I thought. Anyway, do you have a place to stay?"

She shook her head again.

"Then come stay at my place."

He put an arm around her waist and helped her up. As she walked, Juvia felt the pain Ultear said she would. But it was so much worse than she expected.

Juvia's eyes widened as she took in Gray's "house".

In front of her stood a beautiful castle, overlooking the great blue sea. It was big, no huge! And Juvia was shocked by what she saw. Gray must have been someone important.

As he entered, a servant greeted him. "Greetings, my Prince."

Gray nodded. Wait, he was a prince?

Juvia suddenly felt inferior. He was a prince, he had everything. But she had nothing; she was nothing.

Gray led her to a room and opened it. "Here, this is your room."

Juvia looked around. There was a dresser, a table, and something big in the middle.

She ran and jumped on it, as Gray laughed. "Goodnight," he said, closing the door behind him.

X

The next morning, Gray offered to take Juvia on a tour of his kingdom. She instantly said yes, if it meant spending time with him alone.

He took her on a carriage ride around the village square, ad Juvia took in everything she saw. Buildings that reached high up into the sky and people, real people!

They walked and danced on their feet. They looked so light!

Juvia wished she could feel like that.

After a very thorough tour of the kingdom, complete with watching puppet shows in the village square, and Gray chasing after Juvia, they were back in the carriage again.

Gray looked at her and smiled.

"Hey, I know a place we should go." Juvia instantly nodded.

Gray stopped the carriage and led her over to a beautiful blue lake, surrounded by trees and tall grass. The moon hung over the sky and shone down on the lake, its light reflected everywhere.

Gray went disappeared into the trees and brought out a small boat for him and Juvia. He took her hand and led her over into it.

Once on the water, Juvia gazed at everything in awe. Little did she know, Gray was beginning to take in interest in her.

"So," he started, "I never did get your name."

Juvia laughed and pulled out her necklace, showing it him.

"Juvia," he read. He smiled up her at again. "That's a pretty name."

Her eyes sparkled when he told her that. No one had ever said her name was pretty, or even anything nice about her, for that matter.

Juvia slowly reached out, and took his hand in hers. She immediately felt a spark when they touched. She knew they were meant to be together.

Gray smiled back at her. She leaned in, him doing the same. The got closer and closer until they were only inches apart.

Right as Juvia was about to move in, she felt the boat move. It quickly swayed from side to side, until it finally tipped over, sending her and Gray into the water.

"Geez!" Gray yelled, standing up. He reached down and helped Juvia, too. "Stupid fish!"

Then, he started laughing. Juvia joined in, silent laughs blending in with his. They went back to his castle after that.

X

Days passed, and Juvia grew closer to Gray. Whenever he needed to talk, he would come to her and she would listen. She would gaze at him with longing, and sometimes her imagination would take over.

One night, Gray offered to take Juvia dancing, to which she happily agreed.

They took the carriage to an elegant place nearby, where people were dancing. The brilliant white lights shone from every part of the room, and music played gently from the inside.

There were many people dancing, and some just watching. Gray had dressed more casually tonight, making it harder for him to be recognized.

He took Juvia's hand led her to the dance floor. He put a hand on her waist and motioned for her to place her hand on his shoulder. The swayed gently to the music, and began to move, as everyone watched.

People stared at Juvia, as she glided on the dance floor, watching the beautiful girl, so beautiful that she outshone everyone else. Just like Ultear had said.

Then a searing pain burned through Juvia's feet; it was absolutely unbearable. Juvia stopped dancing, and pulled Gray into a corner.

"What's wrong?" He asked, brow furrowed.

Juvia lifted the hem of her dress to reveal her feet. Gray' eyes widened at what he saw.

Her feet had callouses and blisters all over them, and were bleeding intensely. Juvia squeezed her eyes shut at the pain. She remembered how this was also part of the deal. So she put her shoes back on, and smiled up at Gray.

_It's okay, let's keep dancing, _her eyes told him. Gray shook his head.

"No, we're not dancing anymore. Let's go home."

Juvia followed after him as he took her hand and led her outside. She winced at the pain, trying to hide it from him.

Back at the castle, Juvia's feet were covered in blood. She sat down and took off her shoes. As she stood up and tried to walk, she nearly fell over; luckily Gray caught her before she hit the ground.

"You shouldn't walk…" He said. Then, he picked her up, and carried her up the stairs o her room. He set her down on the bed and left for a minute, returning with a roll of bandages.

Gray sat on the bed and took Juvia's feet in his lap, wrapping bandages around them. He smiled up at her.

"So, I haven't told you this, but a few weeks ago, on my birthday, I nearly drowned. A girl rescued me and brought me to shore. I told myself I'd marry only her. But I'm not sure if I'll ever find her." He paused. "You know, you remind me so much of her. I've decided that if I don't find her, I'll marry only you."

Juvia's eyes sparkled when she heard this. Even though he still didn't know it was her who saved him, he was getting there.

Gray finished wrapping the bandages around her feet and stood up. Before he left, he squeezed Juvia's hand and smiled at her. She smiled back.

After he left, Juvia lay back on her bed and sighed. She would have screamed if she still had her voice. This was the happiest day of her life.

So, she pulled the covers over herself, and quickly drifted off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow promised only good things.

X

That morning, Gray woke up, happy to have finally found someone to keep his mind off that day. That was until Lyon walked into his room.

"Mornin' cuz." He threw Gray an apple, who caught it, and threw it back at Lyon's head.

"Bastard! You woke me up!"

Lyon grinned and bit into it. "Missed you too." His expression changed.

"Gray, I have something to tell you." Lyon took another bite. "So I was in another kingdom. I met this man who claimed to be the advisor of the princess of a nearby kingdom. Apparently Aunt and Uncle arranged for you to meet her before they died."

Gray shrugged. "Fine. I'll go meet her. It'll be impolite not to. Then I'll politely decline marriage, and leave. Simple as that."

Lyon shrugged too. "Your call."

X

Gray came into Juvia's room a few minutes after she woke up.

"Hey," he said gently. She smiled in return.

"I have something to tell you." He sighed. "Apparently my parents wanted me to meet this girl from another kingdom."

Her smile vanished, but he went on. "Don't worry. It isn't anything. I'm just going to politely decline. But I want you to come with me, as my friend."

Juvia nodded, faith in his words.

X

Meanwhile, under the sea, Meredy was just entering Ultear's lair.

The sea witch smiled wickedly as her assistant came. "Well done, Meredy. A performance worthy of a medal."

Meredy smiled shyly. "He completely fell for it."

Ultear grinned. "Now, to become a human. And not just any human! A human princess! Now, how do they dress?"

She stood in front of a full body mirror. "Ah yes. And I'm incomplete without that voice."

X

As Gray, Lyon, and Juvia got off the ship, the princess's advisor approached them.

He bowed. "You highness." He walked, as the trio followed him. "The princess has been living in a convent, as she was hidden from our enemies. This way please."

They were led over to a large white building surrounded by a large garden.

The advisor led them over to a side of the garden, where a beautiful dark haired woman sat on a bench. She sang, her beautiful voice echoing over to them.

Juvia narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. That was her voice. She knew it. But what was Ultear doing here? They made a deal, fair and square.

Gray was in a trance, eyes lifeless, and staring at the girl. Juvia looked at him and gasped. He was falling under the spell!

Gray approached her and kneeled. He took Ultear's hand. "It's you. You're the one I've been looking for. You saved me that day, on the beach."

Ultear smiled and nodded, as Gray's smiled widened. He turned to the advisor. "We wish to be married as soon as possible. Tomorrow."

Juvia's heart stopped at hearing those words. This couldn't be happening. Gray had said he would marry her. From the corner of her eye Juvia saw Ultear grin at her.

But for now, she would have to uphold her part of the bargain. There was no negotiating with the sea witch.

X

That evening Juvia sat by the beach nearby. Tonight was her last night. No, she only had a few more hours left. She was so deep in thought that she didn't feel someone come and sit next to her.

"Hi," Lyon said.

Juvia looked at him and smiled a sad smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen." He gave Juvia a sympathetic look that soon changed into one of suspicion. "He said he would decline, but all of a sudden he's in love. There's something weird about her. I just feel it."

Juvia sighed. If he only knew.

"Princess of Ashburn. I've never heard of a kingdom called that. And that voice…it was like she seduced him with it."

Juvia stood up and went to the edge of the water, where she just stood. The waves rolled onto her toes as she clenched her fists. Tears started to fall down her face, and she bowed her head, letting them fall to the sand.

Lyon walked over to her. "Hey… Don't be upset." He took her hand and squeezed it. "If he goes through with this…maybe we can give it a try. You and me."

Juvia looked up at Lyon sadly, thanking him for his offer. It was one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for her. But she didn't know if it would ever work. She just loved Gray too much.

"But in the meantime, I'll do what I can to reason with him." He let go of Juvia's hand. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."

Juvia sighed and sat back down again, the waves on her feet.

X

It was almost midnight, as the moon hung high in the night sky. The stars were shining brighter than ever. Juvia would miss them along with everything else.

Gray and Lyon had decided to stay on the ship tonight.

She went over to Gray's room and found him sleeping peacefully on his bed. He looked so beautiful right there, like an angel. The angel that brought her here.

She leaned over and kissed him lovingly on the forehead. She hoped he felt it, and would remember her.

After she left, Juvia decided to go see the one who had tried to make her feel better that evening. She found Lyon, sleeping.

She gently leaned over and brushed his silver hair out of the way, gently kissing his forehead. She hoped he would find someone great in the future.

It was time. She walked over to the front deck of the ship, and looked down. The water wasn't too deep from here, but it was deep enough.

"Well, well, if it isn't Juvia, the little mermaid." She turned around to find none other than Ultear waiting for her.

"So, how does it feel having your heart broken? He's quite a catch, isn't he?" The sea witch grinned wickedly.

"Just think of everything I'll do after I become princess. I'll seduce him, and make him fall so madly in love with me. He'll be screaming out my name in bed! Then that son of a bitch ill pay, pay for what he did to my mother!" Her eyes gleamed wickedly. "Your precious Gray will die!"

Something inside Juvia snapped. She instantly attacked Ultear, and pushed her to the ground. Ultear clawed and screamed, but Juvia's love for Gray was just too strong. She ripped off Ultear's necklace and threw it, where it shattered.

Juvia's voice sounded, floating over to where she was, and back into her. Juvia finished singing the last note as Gray came outside, awakened by that beautiful voice.

"Juvia?"

"Gray." She said melodiously, opening her arms to him.

Gray ran over to Juvia and put his arms around her. "So it was you all along! I can't believe I didn't realize it!"

"I wish I could tell you but—" Juvia was cut off by Ultear's maniacal laughter.

"Not so fast!" She screamed.

Juvia looked down and found herself sprouting a tail. Gray looked at her in shock, as she sank to the floor.

Ultear grabbed Juvia and dove into the water with her. Gray called after her.

She led Juvia over to her lair, where she tied her up in seaweed.

"Poor little mermaid, it's not you I'm after. I only had to settle some personal business."

Then, Juvia let out a high pitched shriek that nearly shattered everything of Ultear's. The witch covered her ears, as the scream sounded.

Juvia quickly untangled herself, and grabbed a shard of glass. She swam over to Ultear, and stabbed it into her neck.

Black blood poured out of the witch, her lifeless eyes looking upward, staring into nothingness. All the lights went out, and everything inside the lair died as the witch collapsed. Juvia grabbed a potion bottle, that said deepest desire on it, then fled from that place as soon as she could.

When she was far enough away from there, she swam up to the surface near the beach, and found a rock. She downed he contents of the bottle in one gulp. Then she waited. Nothing was happening, so she waited some more.

Then, suddenly, Juvia found herself sinking into the water. Let tail began to glow, but this time, it was excruciating pain.

X

Gray was sitting on the beach, throwing rocks into the water.

She was a mermaid. He hadn't even believed they existed until now. But she had saved him, and he had fallen deeply in love with her. And lost her.

Gray was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear a splash. He looked up and saw something—no someone emerging from the water.

She was beautiful, with wavy blue hair flowing behind her. Her dress was an even deeper blue, making her look like a goddess.

Gray stood up and grinned as she ran over to him.

Juvia jumped into Gray's arms she ran. He hugged her tightly, then pulled away. Then her took her face in his hands and kissed it so passionately, even the moon would have been jealous.

"I love you," Gray whispered. "I should have known."

Juvia grinned. "Sometimes, love is more powerful than words."

She took his hand, and ran along the water. He followed, laughing, and watching the girl who had completely turned his world upside down.

It was true. Love was more powerful than words could convey.

X

Erza finshed just as light streamed through. She looked at Jellal and smiled.

He gave her a faint smile back.

Just as Erza was about to stand up, Jellal took her hand.

"Another story tonight. Please."

"Okay."

**Well? How was it? Review and leave your thoughts. And sorry for the later update! I just had a lot going on this week and I couldn't get to it as fast as I usually do! Looks like we're finally getting some Jerza action soon ;) **

**Anyway, please comment,review, anything! Reviews = love!**


	6. Love at First Sight

By now, Jellal was starting to really respect Erza. These nights were the only upsides of his relatively boring days. He had no idea what made him beg Erza to keep coming back last night. But he didn't care as long as she kept coming back.

Jellal sat in his lounge, waiting for Erza yet again. But this time he didn't really mind. In fact, he was slightly less than willing to admit that he was eager to listen.

Erza came, wearing a beautiful pink robe that made her scarlet hair stand out. _Her hair…_

Jellal shook his head to clear his thoughts as Erza came to sit with him.

She was smiling slightly, happy to see him so eager.

"Tonight's story is one about young love," she said after she settled down. "How age doesn't matter when it comes to love."

Erza sighed. "Okay, so Once upon a time…"

_There were two families always at war with each other._

One family was the Conbolts, and the other the Marvells, and it seemed, like, since the beginning of time they had hated each other.

One warm spring morning, the sun was shining on the town of Verona, as the Conbolts and Marvells saw each other. There was lots of yelling and commotion, and before they knew it, there was fighting, and everyone was all over each other.

"Damn you Marvell !" One man said. He was met with a fist to the face.

"Watch your mouth Conbolt!" The boy with pink hair grinned as he rubbed his fist. Yes, he loved a good fight every once in a while.

The fighting went on for a while until eventually, everyone went silent. Lord Makarov, the lord of the town was rising through the town square on a horse, and an irritated expression.

"What is the meaning of this?" He boomed.

They all pointed to the other family, but stopped as Makarov glared.

"I am not to hear of any more fighting from you Conbolts and Marvells. Is that clear?"

They gulped and nodded. All was silent until Makarov left. They pushed each other a few times, but everyone went on with their business.

X

Romeo grinned as he disarmed his father once again. Ever since he was little, it had been a tradition to spar with Macao after he got back from a trip.

"Yeah dad! I won again!" He picked up Macao's sword and handed it back to him.

Macao laughed. "I guess I really am getting old."

"Do you want to go again?" Romeo asked.

Macao shook his head. "Not today, no. I think I'll go rest. You go have some fun."

Romeo found his cousin Asuka in the garden playing with her cat.

"Hey Suka, wanna play?"

"Yes!" Asuka jumped into his arms as he chased her. "You can't catch me Romeo!" He ran until he bumped into his older cousin and best friend Loke.

"Hey man." Loke fist pumped him.

They walked over to the fountain as Loke fell back. "So. I heard there's a party at the Marvells' tonight. Wanna go crash it?"

Romeo knew he wanted to say no, but lately his life had been lacking adventure. He was so bored, and frankly, he just wanted to have some fun.

"Alright."

Loke smiled. "Great, then 7 o clock tonight. Meet me at the front gate, and oh yeah, wear a mask."

X

"Wendy!" Natsu called.

Wendy rushed downstairs to greet her brother. He had just gotten back from a mission, and she really missed him.

"Natsu!" He hugged her as she jumped onto him. "I missed you so much! You know, mom's throwing a big party now that you're back?"

Natsu sighed. "Please. All I want is some time to sleep. She just has to do these things."

He walked off with Wendy following him.

"So, tell me about everything!" Wendy exclaimed.

Natsu opened his mouth to speak just as a servant came in. "Miss Wendy, your father requests an audience with you."

Wendy hung her head. Two minutes with her brother and her dad was already on her back.

She hugged Natsu again. "I'll see you later."

Wendy ran to her father's study and knocked.

"Come in, dear," came the reply.

Igneel was a tall man with dark reddish hair hat was starting to gray. He had the same eyes as her brother Natsu's, except older and firmer.

He smiled at Wendy as she came in. "Sit down, Wendy." She did. "The reason I called you here was to discuss your future."

Wendy gulped.

"You see, you are growing up, and we need to be finding you a suitable man. The reason I called you dear, was to discuss your betrothal."

"M-my betrothal?"

Igneel nodded. "This young man is Eve." He gestured to a young fair haired man standing over to the side. Before that moment, Wendy hadn't even realised he had been there.

Eve smiled at Wendy and kneeled. He took her hand in his and kissed it. "Such a pleasure."

He was caught off-guard by the sound of Igneel clearing his throat. Eve blushed slightly and went back to his spot beside Igneel.

"As I was saying, Wendy. I have arranged for your betrothal to Eve." Igneel looked at her and smiled again.

Clearly Wendy was too shocked to say anything. She was only 12 for crying out loud!

Igneel must have noticed because he sighed and stood up. He walked over to Wendy and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Go have some fun, Wendy. You look tired."

Wendy left the study and ran to her room, collapsing on the bed. She couldn't help but let out a scream. Just one day of freedom would be nice!

Sure, she loved her parents and especially her brother, but marriage? She screamed again.

X

That night, Romeo set out for the front gate, finding Loke waiting for him. His older cousin was wearing a mask that resembled that of a lion's; as Romeo looked at him closely, he found that it really suited him.

Romeo himself had worn a deep blue mask that matched his dark hair, and made his eyes stand out more.

"Ready?" Loke asked. Romeo nodded.

The Marvell's' house was grand, not much different from the Conbolt's. The place was lined with loads of people, all in masks, and dressed in formal wear.

The party was to celebrate Natsu, Grandine and Igneel's son's return after a long time. Apparantly he had even gotten into a fight this morning, right after he got back.

Romeo spent lots of time wandering around after Loke left to flirt with random girls. How sad, really, he actually thought something good would happen tonight. Turned out, it was just another night.

That was until he saw her.

She was standing off to the side in a green dress that clashed with her navy blue locks. Two beautiful brown eyes peeked out from underneath her mask.

Before he knew it, he was strolling over to where she was.

"Hi," Romeo said.

She smiled shyly. "Hi," she replied.

They looked into each other's eyes, and brown met black.

"Do you want to take a walk?" Romeo asked.

"Yes," she said.

Outside, the night was beautiful. It was as if the stars knew something extraordinary would happen tonight.

"I'm Romeo."

"Wendy."

"Wendy…" The sound of her name lingered on his tongue. It was so beautiful, she was so beautiful.

Before he knew it, he was leaning over, touching his lips onto hers as she stood on her toes, doing the same.

The kiss lasted for only a second, but to them, it felt like everything around them was slowly melting away, all creating one endless swarm of colour.

Romeo pulled away and lifted his mask up. Wendy did the same.

"You're beautiful," he told her.

Wendy blushed.

So this was what they called love at first sight.

He pulled in for another kiss, this time hoping for it to last longer.

But after a second, he was pulled away from Wendy.

"Wendy! What are you doing?"

Natsu was looking down at them, looking ready to kill something. Or in this case, him.

"What're you doing with a freaking Conbolt? What the hell have you been doing to my sister?" Natsu looked about ready to grind Romeo's bones to dust.

He took off running, as the taller, pink haired man chased after him.

"Get the hell back here you bastard!"

Wendy was running after Natsu yelling for him to stop.

Romeo put his mask back on and ran as fast as he could back inside. He grabbed Loke's arm and dragged him through the crowd, not stopping until he was far enough from the Marvell estate.

He walked until he reached the Conbolt estate. Romeo jumped onto the side of the gate and jumped back down, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"I think I'm in love, Loke."

X

By now, Erza didn't even have to tell Jellal the sun was up. He had already seen it.

"I'll see you tonight, then."

**Sorry for the really late update! I just got really lazy and I had school and everything to deal with. But here it is, Romeo and Juliet! I know someone wanted this for Romeo and Wendy. To be honest, I was originally going to do the Snow Queen, but I find that this one fits them better! In fact, I already have another idea for the Snow Queen…**

**Anyway, stick around, and I'll try to update faster from now on!**

**P.S. Don't forget, reviews = love!**


	7. A Rose By Any Other Name

**Sorry for the late update! School gets in the way of everything, doesn't it? I've been meaning to for a while, but well, I've been kind of lazy and pretty busy. But your reviews always cheer me up and make me want to update more! So here it is, Chapter 7.**

No words were spoken that night as Erza came to finish the rest of the story. She simply sat down facing Jellal, and continued. She knew he was eager to hear the rest of it.

Erza's stories were really getting to Jellal. He thought about what Simon said, and wondered when he would have to ask the question.

Erza cleared her throat. "So that night, Wendy was on the balcony, looking out into the night."

_Tonight was a great night._

Wendy thought about the boy she met. Romeo. His name was so beautiful; it just rolled off her tongue. She wondered where he was right that moment.

Surely this was what love felt like.

Wendy sighed. Why did he have to be a Conbolt?

She folded her arms looked up at the starry sky, thinking about something she had read in a book some time ago.

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

Wendy sighed again, thinking about her love. "Why do you have to be a Conbolt?" She said to no one in particular.

"I mean, it's just a name right? What's in a name anyway?" Wendy plucked a rose from the vines curled around and smelled it. "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet."

Little did she know, Romeo was among the tress down below, listening to everything she said.

Wendy was busy watching the night sky, a dreamy look in her eyes, to notice him.

"Wendy!"

She snapped out of her trance, blinking rapidly. "Romeo? Is that really you?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah. I heard everything you said from down here."

Wendy could feel a light blush creeping up on her cheeks. Great. She hoped she hadn't said anything embarrassing.

"I wish names didn't matter," he continued, "if you think about, they don't. Hold on, I'm coming up."

"Don't they'll see you!" Wendy whispered.

"No they won't." He grinned up at her and climbed the tree across Wendy's balcony. By the time he was up, he folded his arms on the wall and leaned over to Wendy.

He gazed into her eyes. "I'm just Romeo. Not Romeo Conbolt. Just Romeo." He leaned in closer. "And you're just Wendy."

Wendy sighed again and shook her head. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be doing this. I'm engaged to Eve."

"I don't care. Rules were made to be broken," Romeo stated.

He reached over and took her hands in his. "Do you love me?"

Wendy blushed. "Yes. Do you?"

"More than anything."

He leaned over to Wendy and whispered in her ear. "Love conquers all. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing."

Romeo wrapped his hands around Wendy's waist, as she put her arms around his neck. He pulled her in for an embrace.

Wendy took in his scent, the beautiful scent of the trees and her Romeo. He was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her.

"Promise me you'll never leave me," she whispered to him.

Romeo kissed her cheek. "I'll always be yours."

"Wendy!" Mira called from inside.

Wendy broke out of Romeo's arms. "Get down before they see you!" She whispered. He quickly climbed back down the tree and blew a kiss to Wendy, who smiled in return.

"Wendy!"

She waved to him as he left, and disappeared back inside.

X

Loke looked at his watch for the umpteenth time. He was late. Again.

He looked up to see Romeo running towards him with a big smile on his face. "Hey man," he said.

Loke glared at him for a second. "What the hell's wrong with you? I thought we were going to that show."

Romeo shrugged. "Sorry, it's just, I had an awesome night last night. I'll tell you about it later."

They walked through the city square, just as Natsu and his gang were coming the other way. They stopped when they saw them. Natsu took a step towards Loke.

"Move."

Loke glared. "No."

Then Natsu grinned, a dangerous grin. He brought his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Well, I'm all fired up for a fight."

Loke smiled underneath his glasses. "Bring it."

Romeo watched in horror as Natsu and Loke began throwing punches at each other.

"Stop it!" He tried to stand between them, but Loke just pushed him aside and continued fighting. Then, Natsu brought his fist back as far as it could go, and punched Loke as hard as he could.

Loke fell to the ground, easily knocked out by that one punch by Natsu. Romeo put his hand on his friend's chest and was relieved to hear him still breathing.

It was then that anger started to form within him. As Natsu turned around with his crew, Romeo crept up behind him and hit him as hard as he could, knocking Natsu out as well.

Well, what he didn't realize was that Natsu had fired an equally powerful, if not more, punch at Romeo at the same time.

He felt his head begin to spin, until he crashed to the ground.

X

Wendy ran up to brother's room and sat by his bed. Natsu was unconscious, and had a bandage wrapped around his head.

Wendy watched as he opened his eyes. "Hey, Wendy." He smiled.

Wendy could feel tears falling from her eyes. "Are you okay? Who did this to you?"

Natsu smiled. "Don't cry," he said as he wiped her tears. His cute little sister, always so sensitive.

His face hardened. "It was that bastard Conbolt. Romeo." He sneered.

Wendy froze. How could Romeo do this? He was her sweet Romeo.

She subconsciously got up from Natsu's bed and walked over to her cousin Mira's room. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the reply.

Wendy walked in. "Mira, I have something I want to tell you. I…love..."

"Romeo Conbolt." Mira finished for her.

Wendy gasped. "How did you know?"

Mira smiled. "Wendy, how long did you think you could hide it from me? You know I know you better than anyone."

That was true.

"I can't believe Romeo would hurt Natsu like that."

Mira scoffed. "Please. Your brother's to blame as well. He started the fight against Loke, and knocked him out. Romeo knocked out your brother to defend his friend. Turs out Natsu hit him pretty hard, too."

Wendy's eyes widened. "What! Is he okay?"

Mira laughed. "Don't worry, he's fine."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Hey Mira, how do you know so much all the time? And why don't you hate the Conbolts like everyone else?"

Mira smiled. "I have my sources. As for the second question…let's just say I have friends on the other side."

Wendy thought for a moment. "Maybe you can help me. I want to see Romeo again."

X

That night, Mira arranged for Wendy and Romeo to meet secretly. She had told everyone she was taking Wendy out for a walk.

They stopped when they reached the lake. Romeo was there waiting for Wendy.

He broke into a smile at the sight of her. "I was wondering when I would see you again."

Wendy ran into his open arms and buried her head in his shoulder.

Mira left, saying she would give them some time alone.

"Love you," Wendy said to him.

"I love you too."

They stood there for a few minutes locked in each other's embrace neither of them ever wanting to let go.

Suddenly, Mira hissed at Wendy. "We have to go! Natsu's here!"

Wendy gasped and let go of Romeo. She stood on her toes and kissed him on the forehead. It was then that she felt herself being pulled off Romeo by someone with brute strength.

Wendy looked up into the furious eyes of Natsu.

"Why the hell did I just find you with my sister, you son of a bitch?"

"Natsu stop—" Wendy tried to squirm out of his grip, but it was iron hard.

"I love her," Romeo stepped forward.

Natsu brought his fist back and punched Romeo in the face, leaving a big bruise on his cheek.

"Say that again, and you're dead."

Wendy screamed at Natsu to stop. He finally let her go, glaring down at her. "Why were you with him, Wendy?"

She sobbed. "I love him."

Natsu grabbed Romeo by the collar and was about to hit him again when Mira yelled at him.

"Stop!" She came forward. "Stop hitting him Natsu!"

Natsu glared up at his older cousin. "Stay out of this Mira, it doesn't concern you."

It was Mira's turn to glare at Natsu. His face paled at the sight of her angry. "It doesn't concern you either, so let. Him. Go."

Natsu reluctantly shoved Romeo and grabbed Wendy's hand. "We're going home Wendy. And you're never seeing him again."

All the while, Wendy felt tears running down her face. Mira took one look at her and felt her heart breaking. She would have to do something to bring them together.

X

Wendy was full on crying by the time Natsu opened the door to her room and let go of her hand. He closed the door.

"What the hell was that, Wendy?"

"I-I don't know." Wendy said through sobs. "I love him."

Natsu growled. "Don't say that again, Wendy, he's a damn Conbolt!"

"Why do you hate them?" Wendy cried from her spot on the bed.

Natsu froze for a second.

"Why do you hate them, Natsu? Why do we hate them?"

Natsu sighed as he opened the door. "I don't know."

X

Romeo had gotten word the next morning about how the Conbolts had challenged the Marvells to a fight, to settle things once and for all. It started today, at sundown.

He had to tell Wendy. He had to find a way to stop the fight, or else they would all just kill each other.

So that day, before the sun set, he heard Loke come into his room.

"Hey." He sat next to Romeo on the bed.

"Hi." Romeo was on his bed, hugging his knees, and thinking. Thinking about how he could stop this feud.

"It's about time we stopped this, Romeo. This fight has to happen. It's the only way."

Romeo shook his head. "No. It isn't. There are other ways to stop this."

Loke sighed. "This is the only way, and you know it." He stood up. "I'm leaving. You can come if you want."

Romeo just shook his head. Loke left.

He would have to stop this.

X

Wendy paced around her room. Natsu had forbidden her from going to the fight, and told her to stay in her room.

She knew Mira would go, just to try to talk sense into them. She wasn't big on fighting without a reason. But sadly, even Mira's glares wouldn't stop Natsu this time.

Wendy had to find a way to stop this. She knew, fighting wasn't the answer.

X

The Marvells, led by Natsu, stood in the town square, waiting for the Conbolts to show up. This was it. This would solve all their problems once and for all.

The Conbolts finally arrived, their army just as big as the Marvells, and determined expressions on their faces. They were led by Loke.

Natsu stepped forward just as Loke did the same.

They studied each other for a moment.

"This is it, Conbolt," Natsu said.

"Same goes for you, Marvell."

Just as the fight was about to start, Romeo broke through the crowd and stood between Loke and Natsu. A few seconds later, Wendy broke through the Marvells, and stood facing Romeo.

"Stop!" They both cried.

"Don't you see? Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere!" Romeo shouted.

"Do we even know why we hate each other? Ask yourselves that question: why do you hate each other?" Wendy countered.

Murmurs ran through both crowds as both families asked wondered.

"See? You don't have an answer to that. We've been in a feud for as long as I can remember! If you think this will solve anything, it won't! Take the day Natsu, Loke and I got into a fight. It only ended in bloodshed, and the three of us getting knocked out! That just made us hate each other even more!"

Wendy stepped up to support Romeo. "Is that what you want? More hate? For the fighting to never end? No one knows what started this, but we can end this feud, here and now. I fell in love with a Conbolt, and I don't regret it. If we can love each other, then everyone here can be friends too."

She took Romeo's hand. "I don't know what you'll choose to do. But this is my choice." She looked at Natsu when she said that.

Mira stepped forward. "Wendy's right. It's about time you listened to her." She pushed through the Marvells over to a green haired man on the Conbolt side. "I'm friends with a Conbolt."

Wendy took Natsu's hand, and joined it with Loke's. "There. See how easy it is?"

Then, members of both families stepped forward and regarded each other. Some started to talk, others laughed together. After years of fighting, there was finally peace in Verona.

Makarov came riding in and saw the two families talking and laughing together. His eyes were nearly filled with tears as he regarded the two young people who brought them together. Romeo and Wendy.

Romeo found Natsu and introduced him to a pretty blonde girl, his cousin Lucy. They immediately took a liking to each other.

He found Wendy waiting for him by the corner. When he went over to her, she took his hand and led him over to the lake.

"That night, we never got to finish what we started," she said.

"I know." Romeo wrapped his arms around Wendy's waist once again, and pulled her in. This time he didn't let go.

X

As Erza finished telling the story, the sun was beginning to creep up from the horizon. She found Jellal looking out the window, deep in thought.

As she got up to leave, Jellal stopped her by talking.

"I have a question for you," he said.

Erza expected him to ask about the next story, or when she would come back tonight. Jellal stood up and faced Erza.

"Will you marry me?"

**Well did you like it? Review if you did! I know, the last part was a shocker, we're finally getting some Jerza action. But don't think too fast! Their relationship's still developing, and there are plenty of stories on the way. **

**Anyway, remember, review = LOVE**

**Ps, what did you think of the twist on Romeo and Juliet? Some of it was inspired by the Lion King 2 (Which was based on R + J in case you didn't know). I didn't really want them to die because they were so young.**


	8. Fiorian Wedding

**Hey everyone, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry I couldn't update sooner! I just had a lot going on, but I'll try to update sooner from now on. Anyway, here's the wedding chapter. It'll be shorter than he others, but to make up for it, I promise I'll update sooner this time. And if you were wondering what Erza's wedding dress actually looked like, here's the link for how I pictured it and wanted it to look.**

.

The citizens of Fiore were shocked. Their king had finally chosen a bride. But no one would have expected it to be Erza Scarlet, the mysterious woman of the court.

Erza stood in front of the full length mirror in her dressing room, admiring her gown. It was strapless, hugging her waist, finally spilling to the ground in one big layer. It trailed after her when she walked.

She was not like other girls. She didn't fantasize about her wedding when she was little. But she had a feeling she would someday end up marry him. And now it was really happening, just not the way she expected it to.

Sometimes, life had strange ways of giving you something.

Erza Scarlet was not a woman who was ready for marriage. But now there was no way she could escape it. This was the only way to save him, and her kingdom.

So she did what she would always do in a tough situation. She put on her most gentle smile, took her bouquet, and waited for the signal to come out of the room.

X

Jellal stood by the altar, waiting for the priest to signal the arrival of his bride. He had no doubt she would look beautiful in her wedding dress; after all, she was the one who had chosen it.

The priest signalled for the pianist the start playing. The audience immediately quieted down, and Jellal cleared his throat. He contemplated yelling at them to get on with it already, but was stopped by the sight of Erza entering.

She walked, her gown trailing after her, and her scarlet hair falling down her back. Jellal almost had to steady himself from falling because Erza looked so beautiful.

Everything seemed fine, she seemed happy enough. But when he looked closer, he could have sworn he saw a twinge of sadness behind her eyes, like she didn't really want this.

Jellal was King of Fiore, and he always got what he wanted. But now, he couldn't help but feel a little remorse for forcing Erza into this.

X

The King and future queen of Fiore stood at the altar, waiting to recite their vows.

The priest raised his hands and signalled for the people to sit down.

"We are gathered here today to witness the royal marriage of King Jellal Fernandes of Fiore to Lady Erza Scarlet.

May this marriage bring the King and future Queen of Fiore everlasting joy, love, and someday, an heir. May this union bring peace to the lands, and to any conflicts we may face in the future."

He paused for a minute and looked toward the ring bearer.

"Do you have the rings?" The boy bowed and lifted the pillow to offer it to Jellal. He took Erza's delicate hand in his, and set the ring on her finger. He then offered her his hand and let her do the same.

They turned back to the priest.

"Do you, King Jellal Fernandes, take Lady Erza Scarlet to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Jellal stepped forward. "I do." He turned to Erza.

"And do you Lady Erza Scarlet take King Jellal to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Erza lowered her eyes, but was back up in a moment. "I do." She turned to Jellal.

"I now pronounce you man and wife." The priest smiled. "You may kiss the bride."

Jellal leaned in, and Erza followed suit. She closed her eyes as she let her lips touch his. This wasn't her first kiss with him, but it was certainly better than last time. This kiss symbolized their unity. From now on they were husband and wife.

After a few seconds, the newlywed couple pulled away, and turned to face the audience, who clapped for them.

Jellal held his arm out, and Erza put her arm through his. They walked down the aisle as the people cheered for the new Queen.

Erza put on a smile, but all the while she was anxious to get this over with. She had only done this out of duty. Well, that was part of it. Jellal seemed to smile in public after the longest time. Erza had not seen him smile in the longest time.

It really brought her joy to see that he was starting to change.

The King and Queen walked into the palace, arm in arm, to celebrate their first night as husband and wife.

X

It was late night by now, and Erza was sitting on the bed in her nightgown, looking out the window. Jellal lay next to her, his arm tucked behind his head, and a leg up.

"I won't do anything with you yet," Erza said.

Jellal shrugged like it was something he already knew. "I don't feel like it right now either. We can do whatever I want later."

_Whatever he wants,_ Erza thought. She silently scoffed. So he expected her to willingly sleep with him just because he wanted to? She had yet to teach him a lesson.

Jellal propped his head up on his elbow.

"So, tell something about yourself I don't know."

Erza shrugged. "There isn't really much to say. I grew up far away from here and I had a really tough childhood."

Funny, because Jellal had had a really bad childhood too. So they had that one thing in common.

"Me too. I mean I had a bad childhood too." He tried as hard as he could not to remember his horrible past.

"We could start off as friends," Erza suggested.

Jellal smiled. "Okay, good idea." He really was changing.

"Erza, where do you get all of your stories from?"

Erza smiled. "You'll just have to wait to find out."

Jellal lay back down and stared up at the ceiling, folding his arms behind his head. "Tell me one."

"Okay."

Erza adjusted the pillows behind her head on the headboard and leaned back.

"_Once upon a time…" _

**Yup, that's a short chapter. I felt like I just had to put the wedding in there. I'll update faster and make the next ones longer to make up for it. **

**Anyway, tell me what you think! Like it? Any suggestions?**

**Remember, review = LOVE**


	9. Mirror Mirror

**Hey guys, I'm finally back, and I'm truly madly deeply sorry about not updating. As some of you know I took down the last chapter because it just wasn't flowing well.** **Like ThatWeirdGirlOverThere said, something was missing. The thing is I had writer's block for the last chapter and I couldn't figure out what to do with it. I've had this idea for a while, and I know what I'm going to do with it, so stay tuned! Here it is: Chapter 9.**

_The queen sat by the window with her needle on a cold winter evening._ The snow fell in small flakes, whitening everything around her. The queen sighed to herself. "If only I had a daughter as beautiful as snow itself."

A few months passed, and the queen learned she was pregnant. It was a girl, she knew it was, and she would name her Sorano, because she was a miracle from the sky. Unfortunately, it was a miscarriage.

Some time passed, and the queen learned yet again that she was pregnant. The king and queen were both overjoyed at the news. Sorano was dead, so she would have to pick a new name.

As the days went by, the queen grew ill, so ill that she was unable to leave her room.

Then it was the night. The coldest winter's night of the year, where snow fell to the ground from a blizzard.

She screamed for what seemed like hours, until finally, there was silence. A baby's crying filled the night and the queen took the baby in her arms. A girl, as pale as the winter moon, and hair as white as snow cried.

"Yukino, "she said. As the queen went limp, the sound of crying filled the night. The king ran in just as the queen named her daughter. All he found in the room was a tiny baby. He picked it up and carried it out of the room.

X

"Whoa!" Yukino tripped over a rock and went tumbling down a hill. Snowflakes were stuck in her white hair, but she quickly shook them out. She was out getting some fresh air and enjoying the afternoon sun.

The king would be home today from one of his royal trips, and Yukino was overjoyed. Her father loved her and would always come home with stories for her.

More than eighteen years had passed since her mother, the queen had died. Tomorrow it would be Yukino's eighteenth birthday, and she couldn't wait. The king was throwing a large ball in her honour, and would be inviting many young bachelors from across their small kingdom.

Yukino shivered a bit from the cold and went back to the castle.

She warmed herself by the fire.

A carriage stopped at the entrance, and Yukino rushed down the stairs. Her father stepped out of the carriage and greeted her with his arms out. Yukino ran to him and hugged him tightly, while the king smiled.

The king and the princess walked into the castle together, and sat by the warm fire.

X

Yukino sat in front of her mirror, getting ready for her ball. She wasn't used to such extravagant parties, and preferred simple company.

She slipped on a dress in her signature colour, blue. The hem of the dress went just above her knees, while it was longer around the sides so the back could trail behind her. Yukino pulled the thin straps over her shoulders as she studied herself.

One thing was missing though. She grabbed a blue rose from her dresser and fastened it in her hair.

As she walked down the stairs, heads turned at the princess's arrival. Many people gasped at her beauty, as they had never seen her in person. She really did have skin as fair as porcelain and hair as white as snow.

Yukino, being the modest person she was, blushed and smiled politely.

She quietly went over to the dessert table and stood by, encouraging the guests to return to their mingling. They did, and she sighed loudly.

"YES! I'm so hungry!" A loud voice called from across the room. Yukino turned her head toward the source.

A tall, blond young man was enthusiastically making his way to the dessert table by Yukino. Whispers started around her and silent snickers.

The boy began filling his plate with every sweet thing he found, all the while laughing to himself. Yukino let out a silent laugh at his childish antics. He came to stand beside her as he ate, watching everyone else.

"Hey." Yukino turned. "You're the princess, right?"

She nodded and smiled. "Just call me Yukino."

"I'm Sting," her enthusiastic companion said, "Sting Eucliffe."

This made the young princess think; that name sounded familiar. The king of Kingdom Sabertooth was Weisslogia Eucliffe. She decided to ask. "Eucliffe? Like King Weisslogia?"

Sting grinned pridefully. "Yup, he's my old man."

Yukino raised any eyebrow. So this was the reckless prince of Sabertooth everyone was talking about. He did seem kind of nice, though.

Sting continued to grin at Yukino as he put an arm around her shoulder. "So it's your birthday, huh? Well happy birthday! How old are you anyway?"

"Uh, I just turned 18," Yukino replied as she tried to squirm out of his grip.

"Eighteen! Hey you're just a year younger than me!" Sting threw his head back and laughed as people began to stare. He loosened his grip, letting the princess stand a few feet away from him.

The blond prince continued laughing as he went to get more food, leaving Yukino to stand by herself, beet red from being so close to a man. And a handsome one at that too.

She stood by herself for a few minutes when a man approached her. "May I have this dance, Milady?"

Yukino nodded and took his hand, letting him guide her onto the dance floor.

They danced in silence, until the man spoke up. "You truly are beautiful, princess."

Yukino blushed. "Thank you."

He smiled. "Any man would be lucky enough to have you…" His hand began snaking up her waist, up her back. He brought it up to touch her cheek, letting it slide down.

"You would make a man very happy," he whispered in Yukino's ear as he brought his hand down to touch her chest. Yukino tried pushing him away as he tightened his grip, looking around for someone who noticed her distress. No one did; they were all too busy dancing or talking amongst themselves.

The man's grip grew tighter on her waist.

"Please stop," she squeaked, but his grip was iron hard.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A male voice said. Yukino looked up and found herself looking at Sting, except this time he wasn't smiling. In fact, he looked mad.

Sting walked up to the man. "You heard me, now what the hell are you doing?"

The creep began stuttering under his penetrating gaze. Sting growled as he threw his fist back and punched the offender in the face.

He bent down, and in a deadly voice, said "Don't you dare touch her again."

Yukino just stood there, shocked, and not knowing what to do. Sting Eucliffe had just saved her from potential rape.

Sting glared at the man on the ground then turned his gaze back to Yukino. He offered her a hand, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

She nodded as she took his hand. He stood idle for a moment. "Hey Yukino. Do you want to dance?"

Yukino smiled as she let Sting put his arm around her waist; she placed her hand on his shoulder. Their other hands were clasped together as they swayed gently to the music. Yukino laid her head on Sting's shoulder, and he held her close.

Everything was peaceful for a moment until the King, from the stage at the front of the room, tapped a glass with a spoon. Everyone quieted down immediately. Sting and Yukino broke out of their embrace.

"Greetings, my wonderful people. Thank you all for coming to my daughter's birthday." He found Yukino in the crowd and gestured for her to come to him. Once she was beside him, King Aguria raised his glass.

"To Princess Yukino. Happy Birthday, my darling." The crowd followed him, all raising a glass for the princess.

But the King wasn't finished. "As for my daughter, I know she has been without a mother for quite some time. Now that she is 18, she is on her way to becoming a woman. Who better to guide her than a mother?"

He gestured for someone to stand next to him. A young looking black haired woman smiled and took his hand. "This is Lady Minerva, my wife to-be and the future queen."

Yukino's father leaned over to her. "I hope you liked your birthday, darling."

Yukino forced a smile to hide her uneasiness. "Yes, thank you, it was wonderful." He squeezed her hand and told everyone to continue socializing. She smiled at him, but when he was out of sight, she ran outside.

Sting saw her and followed her.

Yukino put her hands on the frozen wall of the fountain and leaned on it, taking a deep breath. Her father was marrying again. And to a woman who didn't look much older than herself. This couldn't be happening.

"Yukino!" She found Sting running to her, looking concerned.

She stood up straight and smiled at him. "I'm okay, Sting. No need to worry."

He gave her a look that said 'bullshit'. "You sure don't look okay. If you're so 'okay' why did you run out of there?"

She sighed deeply and sat down. "She's barely older than me, Sting. How would you feel if your father was marrying someone your age?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready for someone else in the family. All my life it's just been me and my father."

Sting watched her, listening intently. Yukino wondered how someone so reckless one moment could be so caring the next. She decided to continue. "I know I'm being selfish. And childish. But I can't help it. I can't control my feelings."

Yukino looked up at Sting. "I'm so sorry for making you listen to all this."

Sting put a reassuring hand on her back and smiled sheepishly. "Hey, sometimes when you open up to people, you let the bad in with the good." He sighed. "Besides. You have every right to feel the way you do."

She smiled, this time for real. "Thank you Sting."

He grinned. "Any time." He sat down by the fountain, next to her as she shivered.

Sting took off his jacket and handed it to Yukino.

X

A week passed, and it was the day of the wedding. At her father's insistence, Yukino led the way with the bouquet. Monarchs from other kingdoms were invited as well, including King Weisslogia and his son, Sting.

As she walked down the aisle with the bouquet in hand, Sting caught her eye and waved. She smiled at him, relieved that he was here.

Yukino approached the podium and stood by as the bride entered. She moved aside as Minerva stood beside the groom.

The priest initiated the wedding, they said their vows, and the wedding ended. It was all a blur for Yukino, who was too engrossed in her thoughts to pay much attention.

The crowd applauded when the wedding ended, snapping Yukino back to reality. A feast was going to be held next, followed by a ball at night.

At the ball, King Aguria raised a glass. "To Queen Minerva." Everyone followed.

Night fell, and all the guests gathered in the ballroom for the ball. Musicians played lively music from the stage and the King and Queen greeted their guests.

Sting found Yukino and pulled her into an embrace on the dance floor as they danced. She laughed and he grinned, unaware of their fathers watching from a distance.

"My son seems to have taken a liking to your daughter," Weisslogia said to his close friend and ally.

"Sting has grown into a fine young man," Aguria started, "It makes me happy to see Yukino smiling so much."

The two men watched as their children danced together, smiling the whole time.

"Can we expect grandkids anytime soon?" Weisslogia asked.

Aguria turned to him, a smile playing on his lips. "Perhaps."

Yukino laughed as Sting told her stories of his adventures with his cousin Rogue. As children, they would always get into trouble together.

Sting watched her as she laughed. He enjoyed making her smile because it didn't seem like she did it often.

"You should smile more," he told her, "You look beautiful when you do."

Yukino blushed as she rested her head on his shoulder, just like when they shared their first dance.

X

The wedding celebration lasted for a week, to which the citizens were overjoyed.

Minerva couldn't take it anymore. It was about time she got rid of the old King. It was perfect; she would poison him, and then take over the kingdom. His pretty little daughter could easily be taken care of.

The night the wedding celebrations ended, she ordered her henchman Doriate to get her a vial of poison. As she waited, Minerva gazed into her mirror.

"Mirror mirror on the wall," she started, "Who is the fairest of them all?" She had cast a spell on the mirror to make it enchanted.

Every time she asked it, the mirror would say she was the fairest. Since the mirror could ony speak the truth, Minerva trusted it.

As she called upon the mirror, Minerva's reflection appeared. "Until today you were as fair as can be," it said, "But there has always been one who rivals you."

Minerva's eyebrow twitched. "Who is it?"

Her reflection smirked at her. "Skin as fair as porcelain, hair as white as snow…" It trailed off until there was nothing but an empty room behind her.

Minerva was furious. She knew who it was; hair as white as snow could only mean one person: Yukino. She sighed as she thought about how the little princess was going to have to die as well.

X

Jellal turned his head to face Erza. "You always end in a cliff hanger. Why's that?"

Erza looked at him, a small smile playing on her lips. "So you wouldn't kill me."

He smirked, turning his attention to the window. The sun was rising, casting a warm, golden glow on the horizon.

"Well you're my wife now. It's too late to kill you." _If I did I wouldn't get to hear your stories. Or wake up to your scarlet hair every morning. _

But Erza just smiled at him. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Jellal smiled back, enjoying the moment.

**So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know by reviewing. Let see if we can get to 100 reviews!**

**P.S. I'll be taking down the author's note.**


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